Yes, that is what I did: installed WordPress in a subdirectory on the same site where I had a static HTML-based web site. Then, when I was ready to “go live”, I followed this documentation:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Giving_WordPress_Its_Own_Directory
using the parts of it that talk about making WordPress “look like” it lives in the root directory.
Only other piece of the puzzle is to rename index.html or whatever the file name is of your home page of your static web site, so that index.php from WordPress (see the documentation link) “takes over” whenever anyone goes to your domain name.
Thanks for your confirmation. I appreciate your time.
could you alternatively install wp in the root of the domain while the index.html site is still running?
No, CatWebWeaver, you would not be able to display your WordPress home page.
Actually, the truth is that web server settings allow your or your host to set whether simply typing your domain name will display index.html (old web site) or index.php (WordPress). 95%+ of sites have .html with priority over .php.
thanks – do you know anything about altering the etsy file in order to develop WP on my Mac as if the site were live on the net?
Sorry, but I’ve never touched a Mac. And not sure what an etsy file is.
But, as a general place to start installing a local site on your own Mac, I would start here:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress_Locally_on_Your_Mac_With_MAMP
http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress#Installing_WordPress_on_your_own_Computer
If you can’t find what you need in the Doc
http://codex.wordpress.org/Main_Page
then I would suggest creating a new thread here.
